upon my uncle he was not looking at me; but
with a glimmer of that smile with which a father looks on a son whose youth
and comeliness he admires, his white face was turned towards the young man,
in whom I beheld nothing but the image of odious and dreadful associations.

'Come, sir,' said my uncle, we must not be too modest. Here's your cousin
Maud--what do you say?'

'How are ye, Miss?' he said, with a sheepish grin.

'Miss! Come, come. Miss us, no Misses,' said my uncle; 'she is Maud, and
you Dudley, or I mistake; or we shall have you calling Milly, madame.
She'll not refuse you her hand, I venture to think. Come, young gentleman,
speak for yourself.'

'How are ye, Maud?' he said, doing his best, and drawing near, he extended
his hand.' You're welcome to Bartram-Haugh, Miss.'

'Kiss your cousin, sir. Where's your gallantry? On my honour, I disown
you,' exclaimed my uncle, with more energy than he had shown before.

With a clumsy effort, and a grin that was both sheepish and impudent, he
grasped my hand and advanced his face. The imminent salute gave me strength
to spring back a step or two, and he hesitated.

My uncle laughed peevishly.

'Well, well, that will do, I suppose. In my time first-cousins did not meet
like strangers; but perhaps we were wrong; we are learning modesty from the
Americans, and old English ways are too gross for us.'

'I have--I've seen him before--that is;' and at this point I stopped.

My uncle turned his strange glare, in a sort of scowl of enquiry, upon me.

'Oh!--hey! why this is news. You never told me. Where have you met--eh,
Dudley?'

'Never saw her in my days, so far as I'm aweer on,' said the young man.

'No! Well, then, Maud, will _you_ enlighten us?' said Uncle Silas, coldly.

'I _did_ see that young gentleman before,' I faltered.

'Meaning _me_, ma'am?' he asked, coolly.

'Yes--certainly _you_. I _did_, uncle,' answered I.

'And where was it, my dear? Not at Knowl, I fancy. Poor dear Austin did not
trouble me or mine much with his hospitalities.'

This was not a pleasant tone to take in speaking of his dead brother and
benefactor; but at the moment I was too much engaged upon the one point to
observe it.

'I met'--I could not say my cousin--'I met him, uncle--your son--that young
gentleman--I _saw_ him, I should say, at Church Scarsdale, and afterwards
with some other persons in the warren at Knowl. It was the night our
gamekeeper was beaten.'

'Well, Dudley